HOUSE OF GLORY
HOUR OF IMPACT!
Topic: COMMITMENT!
Introduction: Yes! You are a Born Again believer. But are you really committed to Christ?
Are the things of the Kingdom of God priority in your life? Are you obedient to Matthew 6:33, Luke 6:38 and Malachi 3:6-10?
You cannot run the Christian race with partial commitment. You are not just like people who do not know where they are going. You are not like people who do not know in whom they have believed.
The achievement of any goal or purpose requires commitment. Commitment involves (1) making a decision (Dan. 1:8), (2) turning oneself over to something or someone, (3) a focused and sometimes costly perseverance, and then reaping the consequences or rewards of our commitment.
Understanding commitment and learning to commit our hearts, minds, and bodies is central to a life of faith. In fact, faith devoid of commitment is dead (Jam. 2:20, 26).
James 2:26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
There must be a change of heart. We have heard these messages on commitment severally, but are we ready to have a change of heart? Are you ready to begin to do what the Lord demands of you? Are you ready to commit yourself to your relationship with Christ?
In 2 Chronicles 7:14 God said, “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”
Whatever you are doing for God, you must do it with your whole heart. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 says, “And thus did Hezekiah throughout all Judah, and wrought that which was good and right and truth before the Lord his God.
21 And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.”
Questions & Discussion!
1. What is commitment? This is the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action. This speaks of (1) Responsibility: something that takes up your time or energy especially an obligation, (2) Loyalty: devotion or dedication, for example to a cause, person or relationship.
To commit yourself to something or to someone is to pledge or bind yourself to a certain course or policy. It means to be dedicated to that thing or that person. One can be committed [dedicated] to someone or to a course [a vision]. It is an obligation. It is a dedication to something.
Many Christians are not yet ready to commit themselves to their relationship with Christ.
2. Is there a typical example of commitment in the Bible? Yes! Consider the story of the rich young ruler. Luke 18:18-23 says, “Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, "Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" 19 So Jesus said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. 20 You know the commandments: 'Do not commit adultery,' 'Do not murder,' 'Do not steal,' 'Do not bear false witness,' 'Honour your father and your mother.' “21 And he said, "All these I have kept from my youth." 22 So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, "YOU STILL LACK ONE THING. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." 23 But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.”
When this rich young man approached Jesus to ask about eternal life, the Lord gave Him a radical imperative: “Sell all you possess and give it to the poor; then come and follow Me.”
Suppose the Lord tells you right now, ``Sell all you possess and give it to the poor; then come and enter Heaven.`` Won`t you do it.
Jesus didn’t say this to everyone. He only said it to His disciples. He knew this man needed the challenge, even though he refused to accept it. Only greed held him back from freedom. Even though he claimed to obey all the commands, he miserably failed at the first one: “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). His possessions became an idol to him.
Jesus went straight to the central issue, preventing him from making a commitment he desperately needed to make. The man walked away, full of sadness. He clung to what he had instead of committing himself to what he could obtain. What he had [worldly wealth] is temporal, but what he is to obtain is eternal.
Another good example is the case of Ruth. “Then Naomi heard in Moab that the Lord had blessed his people in Judah by giving them good crops again. So Naomi and her daughters-in-law got ready to leave Moab to return to her homeland. 7 With her two daughters-in-law she set out from the place where she had been living, and they took the road that would lead them back to Judah.
8 But on the way, Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back to your mothers' homes. And may the Lord reward you for your kindness to your husbands and to me. 9 May the Lord bless you with the security of another marriage." Then she kissed them good-bye, and they all broke down and wept. 10 "No," they said. "We want to go with you to your people." 11 But Naomi replied, "Why should you go on with me? Can I still give birth to other sons who could grow up to be your husbands? 12 No, my daughters, return to your parents' homes, for I am too old to marry again. And even if it were possible, and I were to get married tonight and bear sons, then what? 13 Would you wait for them to grow up and refuse to marry someone else? No, of course not, my daughters! Things are far more bitter for me than for you, because the Lord himself has raised his fist against me." 14 And again they wept together, and Orpah kissed her mother-in-law good-bye. But Ruth clung tightly to Naomi. 15 "Look," Naomi said to her, "your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods. You should do the same." 16 But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. 17 Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the Lord punish me severely if I allow anything but death to separate us!" 18 When Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her, she said nothing more” (Ruth 1:6-18).
3. You ought to be committed to Christ in your church (Prov. 12:24, 13:4, 21:5, 22:29). You show your commitment by being faithful to attending the services in your church punctually and regularly. You must not leave your church on service days to go to another church for one programme or the other. Your presence encourages the Pastor and the congregation.
There are people who cruise around from church to church not settling down in one church long enough to receive all that God has for them. That is spiritual harlotry. A rolling stone gathers no moss.
When you are committed to your Church, you’ll be part of the work force in HOG. When you are committed to your Church, you’ll be paying your tithes regularly. When you are committed to your Church, you’ll redeem all the vows you made to God in that church no matter what. Once you make a commitment, God demands that you keep it even if it is hurting you.
Psalm 15:4 says, “…..He honoureth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not.”
4. What does the Bible teach us about commitments? (Matt. 8:18-22; Mk 8:34-38)
a) Our commitment to Christ must be complete [total] (Josh. 24:14-27).
b) Our commitment to God must be consistent (Rom. 5:1-11).
c) Realize that Christ committed Himself to us first (Lk. 16:16-18). While we were still sinners - these are amazing words. God sent Jesus Christ to die for us, not because we were good enough, but because he loved us. Whenever you feel uncertain about God’s love for you, remember that he loved you even before you turned to Him. If God loved you when you were a rebel, He can surely strengthen you now that you love Him in return.
5. Life commitments should be life-long (Ps. 37:1-39). Most religious leaders of Jesus’ day permitted a man to divorce his wife for nearly any reason. Jesus’ teaching about divorce went beyond Moses’ (Deut. 24:1-4). Stricter than any of the then-current schools of thought, Jesus’ teachings shocked his hearers (see Matt. 19:10) just as they shake today’s readers.
Jesus says in no uncertain terms that marriage is a lifetime commitment. To leave your spouse for another person may be legal, but it is adultery in God’s eyes (Mal. 2:16). As you think about marriage, remember that God intends it to be a permanent commitment.
6. Commitment is the beginning of trusting God. David calls us to take delight in the Lord and to commit everything we have and do to Him.
But how do we do this? To be delighted in someone means to experience great pleasure and joy in his or her presence. This happens only when we know that person well. Thus, to delight in the Lord, we must know Him better. Knowledge of God’s great love for us will indeed give us delight.
To commit everything to the Lord means entrusting our life, family, job, and possessions to His control and guidance. To commit ourselves to the Lord means to trust in Him (Ps. 37:5), believing that He will care for us better than we can ourselves. We should be willing to wait patiently (Ps. 37:7) for Him to work out what is best for us.
7. Commitment comes before provision (Ps. 145:8-20). Psalm 145 communicates to us that God deserves our unconditional commitment. Once you make a commitment, you’ll discover that God provides the people, resources, and strategy necessary to fulfill your dream. In one sense, God enters a partnership with you and promises to fulfill His role as you fulfill yours:
a) God’s Role: Provision (Ps 145:8-17)
b) Your Role: Commitment (Ps 145:18-20)
Memory Verse: “If we are faithful to the end…. we will share in all that belongs to Christ (Heb. 13:14). Therefore, be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9).
Promise from God: “But even more blessed are all who hear the Word of God and put it into practice” (Lk 11:28)
- Your friend, I. I. Madubunyi (Head Pastor) 13th Feb. 2024, @ HQs.
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